
Advertise on podcast: Over/underrated: a music podcast with Fran and Babs
This podcast has
110 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Barbara Mendes-Jorge and Fran JamesExplicit
Yes
Date created
2020/12/12
Latest episode
2026/09/10
Average duration
79 min.
Release period
38 days
Description
Do you believe the hype? Fran and Babs talk about bands and artists potentially given undue credit & musicians who should be more famous, by curating five or ten-track playlists to argue their case
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Check latest episodes from Over/underrated: a music podcast with Fran and Babs podcast
S10E3 - Australia Part V: Kylie Minogue (Overrated) & The Veronicas (Underrated) - with Sophie Davies
2026/09/10
We clearly never tire of going Down Under, so we're back discussing Aussie pop with Sophie Davies from the It's an S Pod Thing! podcast (who was previously on discussing S Club 7 and Liberty X with us).
With the new Kylie Minogue documentary out on Netflix, we thought it was a good moment to analyse an Australian icon gone global - can we get her out of our heads or do we want her to get outta our way?
Sophie chose The Veronicas as an underrated pop pick because while they are quite big in their home country - rating highly on Triple J charts and having their own reality TV show - they're definitely not as well known in other countries. We discuss whether they have a unique sound (or not) and whether, as often happens, record label shenanigans may have dented their full potential...
Listen to Sophie's podcast It's an S Pod Thing! - Babs has guested on there quite a few times! Sophie also has another podcast Smashed Prawns in a Milky Basket, which celebrates the work of "comedy writer/performer/director/all-round genius Julia Davis".
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes the ten songs chosen by Sophie, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S10E2 - Special Episode: What is shoegaze? Interviewing Simon Reynolds, music journalist and author
2026/07/23
If you've ever wondered what the origins of shoegaze are - and how it is used as a classification - then this episode is for you! We're joined for an interesting discussion by someone who was there as the scene was unfolding in the UK: author and music journalist Simon Reynolds.
Simon began his career at Melody Maker in the mid-1980s and has contributed to publications such as Spin, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Pitchfork and others. He has also written a range of music books, his latest one being Still In A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers And The Reinvention Of Rock, 1984–1994.
In this episode, we discuss how Simon sees the arguably slippery label of shoegaze, what it was like to be an "inkie" music journalist in the pre-internet age and whether the role of the music critic has changed in recent years.
We also asked Simon to provide five underrated shoegaze songs for discussion - listen to find out which one he describes as feeling "like standing in a wind tunnel and being buffeted by blossom petals" 🌸
Simon is on Instagram and writes a range of blogs, including the most recent Blissblog. We recommend checking out his back catalogue, especially the book which now serves as a prequel to Still in a Dream, Rip it Up and Start Again: Post-punk 1978-1984.
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes the five songs discussed during the recording, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S10E1 - Placebo Album Showdown Special: Black Market Music vs. Sleeping With Ghosts
2026/06/25
We're back with another Album Showdown Special™! Having previously discussed their two favourite Radiohead albums back in 2021, this time Fran & Babs are discussing their favourite records from another band that originated in the 90s, Placebo.
They've picked their five fave songs from each album (Fran - Black Market Music, Babs - Sleeping With Ghosts) and, as ever, try and convince each other they're right.
Discussions include Placebo's time capsule music videos, homophobia in music reviews and why Brian Molko is such an important figure (who went to Babs's school! And knew her violin teacher!!).
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all ten songs discussed on the episodes, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E10 - Sad Indie: The Smiths (Overrated) and Gene (Underrated)
2026/03/09
This week we're tackling one of the UK's most sacred musical cows and a 90s band on a similar wavelength...
We knew that one day we'd talk about The Smiths, which we discovered at different times in our lives, likely shaping our differing opinions of them. Fran's playlist aims to best showcase the breadth of their sound (and Johnny Marr's skills)....
Underrated pick Gene were discovered by Fran after the height of their career, and he can't understand why they weren't better known at the time...can he convince Babs this British band - who weren't a fan of the term Britpop - should nevertheless be considered as a key part of that pantheon?
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all the songs from our playlists, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E9c - Special Episode: Albums of the Decade (So Far)
2025/12/30
As we're halfway through the decade, we decided to each share our top five albums of the 2020s...
We also talk about other great songs from 2025 that didn't make our Best Of shortlist and round up our year in gigs...
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all songs from our playlists, plus bonus ones from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
S9E9b - Special Episode: Best of 2025 (Part II)
2025/12/28
Part II of our favourite songs of the year!
In this episode, Fran & Babs discuss what they think is the best song to listen to live, fave song in a genre you don't normally like, best solo song, best new act discovered this year and fave song from outside of Europe.
Surprisingly, songs by two previous Taskmaster contestants made the shortlist, plus there are some unexpected hip-hop and emo choices...
Listen to our Best of 2024, Best of 2023, Best of 2022, Best of 2021 and Best of 2020 episodes to see our faves from previous years. And stay tuned for a Part III of sorts...
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all songs from our playlists, plus bonus ones from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E9a - Special Episode: Best of 2025 (Part I)
2025/12/25
For the sixth time, we're picking our favourite songs of the year!
In this episode, Fran & Babs discuss what they think is the best collaboration, best song from a group, best non-English song, best sync track and the best rock song.
There are more French songs in there than you would imagine - and find out which of Fran's picks Babs is DYING to try at karaoke.
Listen to our Best of 2024, Best of 2023, Best of 2022, Best of 2021 and Best of 2020 episodes to see our faves from previous years. And stay tuned for Parts II & III where we expand out our faves.
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all songs from our playlists, plus bonus ones from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E8 - Canada Part II 🇨🇦 Grimes (Overrated) and Peaches (Underrated)
2025/12/02
We're back in North America discussing two Canadian music pioneers...
These days, Grimes is unfortunately better known by her, er, associations than her music, so we tried to put her personal history aside - as best we could - and focus on her wide-ranging back catalogue. As often happens, we also talk about the complexities of separating the art from the artist...
And Babs chose Peaches as an underrated artist because she feels that most people know her only from her biggest hit - it's clear that Peaches has many more arguably underrated bangers. Will Fran agree?
For further viewing/listening, we recommend Peaches' very NSFW and funny video for Rub and Grimes' 2012 hypnotic KEXP set.
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all the songs from our playlists, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E7 - UK Indie: The 1975 (Overrated) and Bombay Bicycle Club (Underrated) - with Joe from Tastes Like Music
2025/10/21
Joined by podcaster and YouTuber Joe from the Tastes Like Music channel, we're in Blighty discussing two modern rock bands...
The 1975 are one of the few recent British indie bands who have broken through in the USA - and many other countries besides, with NME coining the term "Healywave" to describe the scope of their influence. But what do we think about their music - and does lead singer Matty Healy stop us from enjoying it as much as we could?
Named after a now defunct chain of Indian restaurants, Bombay Bicycle Club were picked by Fran as underrated as they have received critical acclaim - and done collaborations with big acts - but he believes they should be better known, especially as they're "one of the most creative bands of their generation".
Tastes Like Music's latest video coincidentally outlines the best albums from the year 1975, check it out here. You can listen to Joe and Dylan's podcast called Discovering Bob Dylan on YouTube. We also highly recommend watching Bombay Bicycle Club perform Carry Me live on KEXP.
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all the songs from our playlists, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E6 - Pop Singer-Songwriters Part III: Taylor Swift (Overrated) and Baby Queen (Underrated)
2025/09/18
We are tackling a behemoth today! We've wanted to talk about Taylor Swift for a long time, so we collaborated on a playlist that broadly covers all of her eras...will we think she's a Mastermind or more of an Anti-Hero?
For today's underrated pick, Fran chose South African artist Baby Queen. Her songs have been featured on the TV show Heartstopper and her music is somewhat adjacent to Taylor Swift, even if her lyrics are a little bit darker...with polished production and great music videos, Fran believes she should be much better known - will Babs agree?
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all the songs from our playlists, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E5 - Special Episode: Interviewing Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer
2025/08/01
Joined by chap-hop pioneer Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer, we have a wide-ranging chat about his latest album B-Curious, what it was like for him supporting Sparks on tour, the realities of the UK live music scene and what five songs he thinks are underrated and worth sharing with a wider audience...
Mr.B will be at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival - check out his show B-Curious, which will be on at 10.30pm from 5-9 August at The Ballroom at The Voodoo Rooms.
You can find his album B-Curious on Bandcamp - as well as a lot of his back catalogue - and he is @gentlemanrhymer on Instagram and TikTok.
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all the songs from Mr.B's playlist, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E4 - US Alternative Rock: Pixies (Overrated) & Sonic Youth (Underrated)
2025/07/03
We're discussing two North American behemoths this month!
"In 1988, the Pixies sounded like no other band. By 1991, every band sounded like the Pixies" - the Boston band's influence is undeniable, especially from the four albums they made in this time period. But how does the rest of their back catalogue sound - and are they nevertheless overhyped?
And while Sonic Youth is another influential band, many of their songs sound arguably too dissonant for a mainstream audience - Babs argues that this is not the case for all of their songs and she feels the band should have better name recognition...
Babs recommends watching this live performance of Kool Thing on Hangin' with MTV in 1992 on YouTube - Steve Shelley's drumming is exceptional.
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all the songs from Fran's playlists, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E3 - Indie Pop: Pulp (Overrated) & Spector (Underrated) - with Helen Sadler
2025/06/04
Joined once again by Helen Sadler from the Flixwatcher podcast, we're being nostalgic about the 90's and assessing more recent British rock...
Pulp are a quintessential Britpop band - with an arguably unique frontman spouting witty lyrics...but how do we feel about their smash hits - as well as the lesser-known songs from their back catalogue?
And this month, Fran introduces us to a band he has long recommended on the podcast, Spector. Formed in 2011, they have released five albums so far, and drawn positive comparisons with other indie rock royalty like The Vaccines and Interpol - Fran believes they should have a much bigger impact, and hopes to bring Babs & Helen on board...
Listen to Helen's podcast Flixwatcher, which reviews films available on Netflix in the UK and assigns them a unique scoring system - Babs & Fran have both guested on it, talking about Beats, The Edge of Seventeen, Superbad and School of Rock. And check out our previous episode with Helen, where we talked about indie folk, specifically The National and Sharon van Etten.
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all the songs from Fran's playlists, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E2 - Australia Part IV: Tame Impala (Overrated) & DZ Deathrays (Underrated)
2025/05/05
We're back in the Southern hemisphere for the fourth time on this podcast (and apologise again for any attempts at an Aussie accent...)!
Tame Impala, a.k.a. the brainchild of Kevin Parker, is currently in the top 200 most-listened to artists worldwide on Spotify - but will we think his particular flavour of psychedelic-electro-pop is original or bland?
And Babs has been wanting to talk about Brisbane band DZ Deathrays for AGES - they've had a reasonable amount of acclaim in Australia, but she feels that they should be better-known in Europe and beyond - especially for fans of bands like Blood Red Shoes, Death from Above 1979 and be your own PET.
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all the songs from Fran's playlists, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
S9E1 - Scotland: Simple Minds (Overrated) & Idlewild (Underrated)
2025/03/28
We are back in Alba for the first episode of our latest season, which will continue to be released monthly!
Fran has been a Simple Minds fan for a while - the band has 19 albums to their name, but Fran knows most people only know a few of their hits. He hopes his ten-track playlist introduces Babs and our listeners to lesser-known Simple Minds gems...
Once touted as the 'next Coldplay', Idlewild made some impact on the UK's noughties indie scene, but their fame peaked with their 2002 album The Remote Part - despite making many more records since then. Can Fran convince Babs there are many more songs to enjoy from their back catalogue?
You can find the playlist for this episode on Spotify - it includes all the songs from Fran's playlists, plus bonus songs from other artists we've discussed during the episode.
Download, review, subscribe and get in touch - especially if you have any suggestions for future themes or musicians to discuss.
Follow us on social media: it's @overunderratedmusicpod on Instagram, and @oumusicpod.bsky.social on Bluesky. You can also email us at [email protected].
Thanks to Mark Abbott for our logo.
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